Freedom of Speech Has Increased Despite Media Raid

Freedom of expression has increased despite the raid on the Standard Group, a new public opinion poll says.

About 82 per cent of Kenyans believe that freedom of expression has increased since Narc took over power in 2002. Only 8.7 per cent said the freedom had decreased, says the Republic of Kenya National Opinion Poll conducted by Strategic Public Relations and Research, a city based company.

But the report says that the Government continues to take the flak over the attack on The Standard newspaper and its sister TV station, KTN, on March 2.

Most Kenyans - about 60 per cent - say the Government has never justified the raid by armed hooded policemen, who burnt thousands of the daily's copies for the day and disabled the TV station for hours.

Attack condemned

Internal Security minister John Michuki accused the company of fabricating stories, saying that the attack was meant to protect State security.

"If you rattle a snake, you must be prepared to be bitten by it," he said.

Foreign envoys condemned the attack, with the US Embassy termed it a "campaign of vilification and harassment" of some media.

"These acts of thuggery have no place in an open democratic society," it said.

Some MPs led a demonstration in Nairobi to denounce the act. Leader of Official Opposition Uhuru Kenyatta described the action as a "dark day" for Kenya.

Three Standard journalists have also been charged with publishing an alarming statement following a story alleging that President Kibaki had held secret talks with Mwingi North MP Kalonzo Musyoka.

Direct voting

The survey says direct voting is the preferred way of nominating a presidential candidate. Kenyans gave direct voting by all party members a 59 per cent approval. Only 32 per cent preferred the delegates system as a way of nominating a presidential candidate, while only six per cent voted for the party chairman as the automatic candidate.

The mode of nominating a Presidential candidate has threatened to split the Liberal Democratic Party. The party has put on hold all discussions over the mode of nominating its Presidential candidates, after differences emerged at a National Executive Committee meeting over the delegates and direct voting.

Mwingi North MP Kalonzo Musyoka has identified himself with the method in his quest for the high office on a Liberal Democratic Party ticket.

Registered voters

The report also says that majority of the registered voters are likely to participate in the 2007 General Election. It indicated that 90.5 per cent of the Kenyan voters would vote in the General Election.

Electoral Commission of Kenya Vice-chairman Gabriel Mukele said 11 million Kenyans were registered in the 2002 General Election. He said about 13 million voters have been registered for next year's election.

However the IRI report says that 5.7 per cent of the registered voters are unlikely to vote. The report says that 2.9 per cent are neither likely nor unlikely to vote in the polls, while 0.9 per cent of the voters don't know if they will vote.

The report says that 0.3 per cent of Kenyans says that there are other methods to be used in nominating Presidential candidates.

The IRI report reveals that 2.4 per cent don't know which method to be used to nominate the Presidential candidates while 0.4 per cent did not respond.